United States v. Cunningham
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
103 F.3d 553 (1996)
- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Cunningham (defendant), a nurse, was charged with tampering with syringes containing Demerol, a powerful painkiller. At trial, the prosecution (plaintiff) sought to prove Cunningham’s motive to tamper with the syringes by introducing evidence that she had a previous conviction for stealing Demerol, which resulted in suspension of her nursing license, and that, after the license was reinstated, Cunningham falsified results in her mandated drug testing. The district judge declined to admit the prior conviction, but did admit evidence of the license suspension, falsified test results, and addiction. Cunningham was ultimately convicted and appealed to the Eighth Circuit, arguing that the district judge erred in admitting evidence of her prior bad acts.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Posner, C.J.)
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